A Fool's Calculation
"Groan...!"
Jegal Wi-yeon realized he was lying on the ground and scrambled to his feet like a startled rabbit.
W-where am I...?
Rumble!
As if celebrating his awakening, the ground shook violently, and the stone walls began to shift and rearrange themselves.
...The Minor Eight Diagrams Formation.
Only after witnessing the trembling earth and the shifting structures did Jegal Wi-yeon finally grasp his situation.
Yet, understanding his location did not mean he understood how he had ended up there.
But why was I on the floor...?
He retraced his memories, trying to recall the last thing that had happened.
"Ugh!"
A sudden, sharp pain made him groan.
A dull, throbbing ache pulsed at the back of his head.
No, it was worse than that.
It felt as though his skull had been struck by an iron mallet. His brain rattled inside his head.
When he reached back to touch it, the bone felt slightly depressed, as if fractured.
...An ambush?
That was the first thought that flashed through his mind.
But it made no sense.
Who would dare lay a hand on him, the third young master of the great Jegal Family?
—Now that I see it, it's perfectly clear.
—...What?
"Ah."
Suddenly, his conversation with Jegal Jeok-un rushed back to him.
His memory cut off right after his exchange with that bastard.
Jegal Wi-yeon frantically scanned his surroundings, but there was no sign of Jeok-un anywhere.
...Could that bastard have...?
A murderous glare flared in Jegal Wi-yeon's eyes.
Circumstantially, it was highly likely that Jeok-un had ambushed him and fled.
Blood rushed to his head in a fit of rage.
Jegal Wi-yeon utterly despised Jeok-un.
Personality, talent, bloodline—none of it was even comparable.
It was embarrassing to even share the Jegal name with someone so far beneath him.
Born with the trash constitution of a worm who couldn't even learn proper martial arts, the bastard had always tried to play the older brother just because he was born a bit earlier. It was pathetic.
A mere commoner's bloodline with no backing whatsoever.
Yet, the only reason Jegal Wi-yeon had humored him, calling him "brother" this and "brother" that, was simple.
It was solely due to the command of his birth mother, Lady Oh.
"Jegal Jun is the Patriarch's legitimate son and the eldest. He is also highly talented. You must defeat him to become the next successor. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mother."
"Then what must you do?"
"Naturally, I should use overwhelming martial power to—"
"Wrong."
"Pardon?"
"You are a tiger and a wolf, but you must wear the skin of a sheep."
The skin of a sheep—a gentle, submissive facade.
Following Lady Oh's orders, Jegal Wi-yeon had maintained a gentle exterior, acting as a dutiful brother to everyone.
It was all to eventually drive a blade into the throat of his ultimate target, Jegal Jun. Calling someone like Jeok-un "brother" was merely a stepping stone.
Jegal Wi-yeon seethed for a long moment.
But as his thoughts lingered, his anger began to cool.
His heated mind slowly regained its composure.
"Whew."
Exhaling a long breath, the madness in Jegal Wi-yeon's eyes faded, replaced by his usual calculating gaze.
...Tsk, I let myself get too worked up. That idiot doesn't have the guts to do something like this.
Thinking it through logically, the premise itself was absurd.
Why would a fool, completely fooled by his act of a loving younger brother, suddenly attack him?
Besides, there's no way I could be ambushed by a guy who has only learned basic martial arts.
He must have been struck by a stray wave of energy generated during the formation's restructuring. It was just bad luck.
Or perhaps it was an accident caused by someone else attempting to exploit a weakness in the formation.
A stroke of terrible, rotten luck.
Jegal Wi-yeon settled on that final conclusion.
Damn it, but that bastard left me behind? He should have woken me up! Or at least carried me out on his back!
Jegal Wi-yeon ground his teeth in resentment toward Jegal Jeok-un.
I hope too much time hasn't passed.
Losing consciousness was a critical setback.
Trapped inside a formation completely cut off from the outside world, he had no way of knowing how much time had elapsed.
Tsk, I have no choice.
If he had time, he wouldn't risk it, but if he fell below the middle ranks, his mother would skin him alive.
He reached into his robes.
Jegal Wi-yeon pulled out a small object.
It was a monocle.
It was a tool given to him by Lady Oh, designed to locate the nearest gate of life.
—If you find yourself falling too far behind, use this. It will read the flow of vital energy and reveal the gate of life.
—However, if anyone catches you using it, you will be disqualified for cheating. You must never use it in the presence of others.
A situation where he was falling too far behind.
A moment when no one was around.
It was the perfect time. Jegal Wi-yeon double-checked to ensure he was alone, then raised the monocle to his eye.
"Oh...!"
With one eye, he saw the physical layout of the formation; through the monocle, he saw its underlying flow.
Red, yellow, blue, and green currents swirled and parted, mapping out a path.
She said to follow the green.
The green path led to the gate of life. All he had to do was follow it.
Tap, tap!
Now that he could read the flow of vital energy leading to the exit, there was no reason to hesitate.
Jegal Wi-yeon unleashed his lightness skill, the Heavenly Secret Divine Steps, to its absolute limit and dashed toward the gate of life.
I don't know how long I was out, but I should still easily make it into the middle ranks!
As he ran with rising spirits, he saw a shimmering haze ahead.
That concentration of vital energy was the gate of life—the exit.
The moment he spotted it, Jegal Wi-yeon threw himself forward without hesitation.
Flash!
He felt the world spin upside down, and then—
Crash!
Jegal Wi-yeon tumbled onto the ground in an unsightly heap.
If anyone saw the monocle, he would be disqualified instantly, middle ranks be damned. It was better to sacrifice his dignity and roll on the dirt to hide it.
"Cough, cough!"
Deliberately executing a Lazy Donkey Roll, Jegal Wi-yeon rolled across the dirt, coughing and keeping his head low.
He swiftly slipped the monocle back into his robes and continued his performance.
"Ugh...!"
It had been so difficult.
So much had happened.
Only after projecting this silent plea of exhaustion did Jegal Wi-yeon stagger to his feet and brush the dust off his clothes.
However...
...Huh?
The atmosphere felt strange.
Countless eyes were locked onto him.
Could it be... that I came in first?
For a fleeting second, Jegal Wi-yeon allowed himself that hope. But the cold, heavy stares of the crowd quickly sent a shiver of dread down his spine.
M-Mother!
The peak of this hostility came from his own birth mother, Lady Oh.
She was glaring at him with a venomous, demonic expression that could curdle milk.
What the hell is going on?
Did they catch me using the monocle?
No, I rolled the moment I exited. There's no way they saw it.
Even if they did, would they look at me like this?
As Jegal Wi-yeon's mind spiraled into confusion, a voice rang out.
"Tsk. Pathetic."
It was a cold, biting voice.
F-Father...?
Turning toward the sound, he saw his father, Jegal Mun. The Patriarch clicked his tongue with a freezing expression, then turned his head toward the squad leader standing beside him.
He had completely turned his back on him.
"Leader of the Heavenly River Squad, bring this to a close."
"Understood. Since the final challenger of the Waryong Trial, Jegal Wi-yeon, has emerged, the exam is now officially over!"
"...!?"
At the declaration of Jegal Tan, the Iron-Blooded Judge and Leader of the Heavenly River Squad, Jegal Wi-yeon's jaw dropped in sheer shock.
The final challenger.
The implication of those words was painfully clear.
I'm... I'm last?! That's impossible!
Jegal Wi-yeon denied reality.
He was utterly bewildered.
But whether he accepted it or not, the results were set in stone.
Yet, what shocked him even more was the next announcement.
"Will the top scorer of this Waryong Trial, Jegal Jeok-un, step forward!"
The top scorer.
The person who had escaped the Minor Eight Diagrams Formation first was none other than Jegal Jeok-un.
The Patriarch's Hall of the Jegal Family Manor.
Though the Patriarch's Hall was normally protected by heavy guards and ironclad formations,
at this moment, even the minimal guards had been dismissed. Only two people sat facing each other inside the pavilion.
Jegal Mun, the master of the pavilion.
And his son, Jegal Jeok-un.
—I will speak with the top scorer, Jeok-un, in private.
This was why Jegal Mun had bypassed the award ceremony and celebratory banquet that should have followed the Waryong Trial, bringing only Jeok-un straight to the Patriarch's Hall.
Thus, the two sat face-to-face in the quiet hall.
Whoosh...
The interior was so quiet that the rustling of leaves in the wind outside could be heard clearly.
In fact, it was more accurate to call it a freezing silence.
Though they had entered the hall quite some time ago, neither had spoken a word.
Rather than a father and son, they felt like two generals sizing up each other's momentum before the opening clash of a war.
"..."
"..."
Just as it seemed the silence would freeze them in place forever,
Trickle.
Jegal Mun broke the silence by pouring a cup of rare tea for Jeok-un.
"You must be tired. Have a cup."
"Thank you, Father."
Jeok-un accepted the cup without hesitation. He took a sip, then subtly furrowed his brow.
"This is White Hair Silver Needle tea from the Purified Great White, a special gift from the Alliance Leader himself. Is it not to your liking?"
Seeing his reaction, the Patriarch let out a soft chuckle.
"Yes. I prefer alcohol over tea."
"I did not know you enjoyed spirits."
"Well, it hasn't been long since I developed a taste for it."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Silence descended once more.
In an atmosphere as distant as that between strangers, Jegal Mun poured a cup for himself, took a sip, and spoke.
"How did you dismantle the formation?"
He cut straight to the point, completely unbothered by the awkward silence.
Here it begins.
Jeok-un focused his mind and met Jegal Mun's gaze.
Jegal Mun's eyes were unique.
They possessed a mysterious depth that seemed to pierce through everything, exposing one's innermost thoughts. Standing before him, Jeok-un felt almost naked.
So this is the gaze of the Divine Strategist.
Jegal Mun held many titles, including the Divine Strategist and the Triple-Calculation Divine Mind, and none of them were unearned.
He was the backbone of the current Murim Alliance, the core of its decision-making, and a giant of the martial world who effectively controlled its nervous system.
One slip, and he would be devoured.
However...
Amusing.
Jeok-un smirked inwardly.
Before his regression, he was the hegemon of the Unorthodox factions, the one feared as the Black Heaven Hegemon.
The unyielding mental fortitude he had forged through the path he walked and the status he had achieved easily neutralized the pressure.
"Whew..."
As Jegal Jeok-un dispersed the oppressive aura with a light breath, a faint glint of surprise flashed in Jegal Mun's eyes.
"You asked how I dismantled it?"
"Indeed."
Jeok-un nodded calmly and replied with nonchalance.
"There was a hole. So I walked through it."
"...A hole?"
"It is a rather ancient formation, is it not? I saw not just one, but several flaws scattered all over it."
"!"
Jeok-un spoke of the flaws in the Eight Diagrams Formation with absolute confidence, and Jegal Mun's displeasure was instantly palpable.
"...You walked through it because there was a hole. Are you daring to criticize the formation created by our ancestors?"
"Yes, that is correct."
When Jeok-un answered without a shred of hesitation, a sharp light flickered in Jegal Mun's eyes before vanishing.
Slam!
Jegal Mun slammed his hand down on the table, unleashing his fury.
"How insolent! Do you not realize that you are committing the grave sin of insulting our ancestors and betraying the clan?"
"Did I slander our ancestors? I merely evaluated the work they left behind. How can that be considered a crime?"
"That 'work' you speak of is the history and tradition of this family!"
"Then the fault lies with the ancestors who constructed it poorly in the first place, not with me."
Jeok-un did not back down in the slightest, their opposing auras clashing head-on in a tense standoff.
"Those flaws you claim to have found—list every single one of them without exception. If I detect even the slightest falsehood, you will face the harshest punishment!"
It was a worst-case scenario where, despite taking first place in the Waryong Trial, he could be branded a criminal of the clan.
However...
Jeok-un knew.
"Hmm. Then how about we do this?"
"...What?"
He knew this was yet another opportunity presented to him.
Jeok-un began to weave his words.
"As your son, I have only spoken the truth. Yet, since the Patriarch accuses me so harshly, I cannot help but feel wronged and distressed."
"You are incredibly bold."
"Therefore..."
Jegal Mun looked at him with disbelief, but he quietly waited for Jeok-un to finish.
Then, with a faint smirk that went unnoticed, Jeok-un spoke.
"I would like to make a bet with you, Patriarch, to proudly prove that there is not a single lie in my words."